Five things TCU fans should know about the Kansas Jayhawks

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NORMAN, OK - OCTOBER 5: Head Coach Gary Patterson of the TCU Horned Frogs yells at a player coming off the field during a game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on October 5, 2013 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated the Horned Frogs (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Pierson day-to-day- Charlie Weis said this week that is best offensive playmaker, Tony Pierson, is day-to-day with a head injury after a scary injury last Saturday against Texas Tech. Pierson is not only a running back for the Jayhawks, but he is also the favorite target of quarterback Jake Heaps. Pierson has a team-leading 21 catches while averaging 15.6 yards per reception. As a safety blanket for his quarterback, Pierson needs to play Saturday to give Kansas its best chance at winning.

A Heap of Trouble- Okay, that was a bad attempt at a pun with Jake Heaps name, but the Jayhawk quarterback could be in a heap of trouble against TCU if he continues his tendency to turn the ball over. With just four touchdowns compared to five interceptions, Heaps has run hot and cold so far this season. Against a TCU secondary that Gary Patterson said is the best he's ever had, protecting the ball is a must. TCU leads the Big 12 in interceptions, and the entire team has thrived this year off forcing their opponent into mistakes. Without Pierson, Heaps will rely heavily on receivers Brandon Bourbon and Jimmay Mundine.

Last four meetings- Kansas has actually had success against the Frogs if you look at the last four meetings between the teams. The Frogs handled Kansas last year by a score of 20-6. Before last season, the teams had not met since 1997. In the late 90's, Kansas started 2-0 for four straight years. Having beaten the Frogs twice in a row, Kansas again knocked off the Frogs in 1997. TCU led that game late in the fourth quarter before Kansas quarterback Zac Wegner found Termaine Fulton for a game winning touchdown. That was the last time the two teams met before 2012.

Limit big plays- Forcing the Jayhawk offense to score off long, sustained drives will be key to keeping the Jayhawks off the scoreboard. Can Heaps and their offense string 10-12 successful plays in a row together against the TCU defense? Not sure they can. Last year, TCU gave up three plays of over 25 yards to the KU offense in the second half alone, but the Jayhawks never scored in that half. KU must run the ball better than they did a year ago when they mustered just 74 yards on the ground.

McDonald does his best Jason Verrett impression- That is referring to KU cornerback Dexter McDonald who ranks second in the country in passes defended. As the KU media guide puts it, "Kansas junior cornerback Dexter McDonald has made breaking up look easy - passes anyway." McDonald has eight passes defended, and he had his first career interception against Rice earlier this year. McDonald is a key component of Kansas' improved pass defense that is giving up 54.7 less yards per game through the air.

Bonus note: The TCU offensive line will have to account for Kansas linebacker Ben Heeney on Saturday. Heeney leads the Big 12 in tackles per game, averaging 10.2 stops. He ranks in the top-10 in the Big 12 in four different defensive categories.

~You can follow Alex Apple on Twitter @AlexAppleDFW, and be sure to follow @SportsDayDFW as well.~